Tag: algal blooms

Posted on

Florida begins emergency feeding, rescue of starving manatees

Florida will begin emergency feeding and rescue of starving manatees

Record numbers of endangered manatees are dying as polluted waters kill off their food sources

Florida wildlife officials will undertake a manatee feeding and rescue operation involving hand-feeding the mammals romaine lettuce, amid unprecedented mortality among the gentle aquatic creatures affectionately known as “sea cows”.

Typically, manatees return to warm water winter feeding grounds, where they feast on plentiful seagrass.

But algal blooms from polluted waters have devastated seagrass beds, … [more…]

Posted on

Environmental group: Iowa’s waterway cleanup plan could take 22,000 years

Environmental group: Iowa’s waterway cleanup plan could take 22,000 years

The Iowa Environmental Council is working to improve water quality in Iowa’s lakes, including West Okoboji Lake, shown here. (Photo by Perry Beeman/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Iowa’s work to clean polluted waterways is so slow it will take as much as 22,000 years to meet some of the goals in the state’s voluntary plan, the Iowa Environmental Council reported.

The nonprofit’s latest review of the state’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy — the

… [more…]
Posted on

10 Shocking Facts On Factory Farms Will Make You Rethink That Burger

Graphic: 10 Shocking Facts On Factory Farms and Water Pollution Will Make You Rethink That Burger

Graphic by Hannah Williams

In the United States, around 27 billion animals are raised for food every year. These animals are subjected to lives in extreme confinement where they live in fear and pain. The cruelty that these animals experience is rather well-known and understood, however, the negative environmental impact that raising this many animals causes is less so. One of the most notable ways that factory farming impacts the … [more…]

Posted on

Government is Scaling Back Water Quality Protections. Surfers are Picking up the Slack.

The Government is Scaling Back Water Quality Protections. These Surfers are Picking up the Slack

Photo: A surfer rides a wave against the industrial backdrop of Lake Michigan. (Credit: Mike Killion/Courtesy of Surfrider)

Decades ago, California surfers decided to fight coastal pollution. Today, their massive network of citizen scientists is monitoring water quality in places the government doesn’t.

In 1984, a small group of California surfers were fed up with the development and water pollution at their favorite break, Malibu’s Surfrider Beach. They took their … [more…]

Posted on

Environmental Group Says Almost All Kansas Tap Water Is Too Contaminated

Environmental Group Says Almost All Kansas Tap Water Is Too Contaminated

Nomin Ujiyediin / Kansas News Service file photo

WICHITA, Kansas — The water coming out of your tap might meet legal standards, but that doesn’t mean that it’s safe to drink — at least according to the Environmental Working Group, an environmental advocacy nonprofit.

EWG found that nearly all of the 870 water utilities in Kansas tested for at least one contaminate above what it considers safe, though most water

… [more…]